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"If things are going poorly, build defensive items."

When I'm thinking about trying a new champion and start reading guides, I often see, "If things are going well, build ABC. If things are going poorly, build XYZ" when they talk about recommended items. ABC are usually offensive items, while XYZ are defensive items.

Is that really valid advice? It seems to me that building defensive items while losing only results in losing more slowly, while your winning opponents continue to build offensive items and continue to pressure you and out-farm you. Am I missing something?

Making the game last longer means there's more time for the opponent to screw up and let you back in. Also, if the game lasts long enough, even if you've been outfarmed you'll eventually be able to get your full desired item set whereas if you pick offensive items and just get squished every time you try to fight, there's less of a chance for a comeback.

If buying a neg cloak/qss/chainmail/warden mail or something helps you live long enough to expend your own cooldowns offensively, then that is better than having more ap/ad and being completely unable to do anything before dead.

Focus carries and coordinate ganks, wards are crucial. Watch for AOE carries such as katarina, Karthus, kennen, or etc. Team has to target the most threatful enemy player. Usually if enemy team main dps dies its turnover. Build some survivablity items like Banshee to take some dmg because their carries tend to stay in the back and wait till you guys get low. If they do that, go for most squishy hero, when carry jumps in, focus carry for the win! it's all about team coordination. If fail team then surrender. LOL!!!!!

Basically, if you aren't getting kills, your AP/AD won't match your oppoents AP/AD, so they will dump more DPS more quickly. If you ARE getting kills you can afford to build AP/AD, then you can dominate people who DO NOT build defense. If you build defense, it evens the playing field a bit and allows you to avoid getting nuked too quickly.

You are right. It makes you lose more slowly. It also let's you focus on farming up more gold, and catching up to your opponents. Remember that there is an absolute threshold of power for all characters except veiger, sion, and Nasus.